Reinforced masonry construction



C. A. WLLSON.

REINFORCED MASONRY CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION man APR. lo. ma.

y 1 314,558. Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

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hws/#6 Nus .Attorneys CLARENCE ARDRYWILLSON, OF DES MOINES', IOWA.

REINFOROED MASONRY oons'rnUccrion.y

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application led April 10, 1918. Serial No. 227,814.

To' all whom z' may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE ARDRY VILL SON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Reinforced Masonry Construction, of which the following is aspeci` ication.

My invention relates to flat slabs, arches or domes of the type employing plastic blocks.

The object of my invention is to provide a masonry slab in which there is no reinforcement except at the outer edges of said slab. This outside reinforcement serves two purposes; namely, as a girder reinforcement to resist bending between supports, which are usually columns placed at the corners, and as a hoop around the masonry within to prevent lateral spreading of said masonry.

A further object of my invention is to provide a flat'masonry slab made up of a flat dome consisting of two intersecting' flat arches, the pressure perpendicular to the plane of the slab being resisted either by walls along the edges of the slab or by placing reinforcing along the edges of the slab in such a manner as to form girders, which in turn are supported by columns placed at the corners of the slab; the lateral or outward pressure of the dome or slab being resisted by placing reinforcing along the lower outside edges of the slab thus forming beams subject to bending in directions perpendicular to that of the supcrposed load, the tension side of these beams being the outside edges of the slab where the reinforcing is placed, the compression side being within the slab itself, the width of the beam being the thickness of the slab, and the depth being a portion of the length of the span of the slab; sidewise displacement of these beams being resisted by tying together corresponding beams on opposite outside edges of the floor slab at every row of column supports or on top of every bearing wall.

With these and other objects in 'view my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a top or plan view of a multiple section floor slab embodying my invention.

Figs, 2, 3, l, 5, 6, and 7 show vertical, sectional views taken on the lines 2-2, 3 3, 4 4, 5-5, 6-(3, and 7-7 respectively.

It should be understood that various types of blocks or tile may be used in my improved floor slab construction, but in the illustration shown in the accompanying drawings, I have shown a type of hollow block or tile indicated in the drawings by the reference character 10 having the smooth horizontal top and bottom surfaces, the vertical end surface, and sides of peculiar construction, as illustrated for instance in Figs. 2, 3, and 4L.

Each side of the type of block mentioned herein is preferably formed with inclined portions l1 and 12 and with a portion 13 reversely inclined from the portions 1]. and 12.

The construction just mentioned has an important advantage in that the strength of u1@ block asef is directly utilized against shear strains, and lthe strength of the construction is secured by the shape of the blocks and does not so much depend upon adhesion between the mortar and tile as would otherwise be the case.

It will be understood that a proper scaffolding is set up.

Different methods of practical procedure in construction may be followed but the construction may be as follows:

Columns ll may be constructed terminating just below the level of the floor slab to be constructed. The tile 10 are then laid in courses on a flat form with mortar joints, with the corner tile projecting into the extensions of the columns 14.

It will be understood that the reinforcing hereinafter more fully referred to is placed in the columns and beams at the proper times.

The columns are built up after the blocks are laid as described7 and girders 15 are constructed.

In'Fig. 1 it will be noted that there .is illustratedy a single large slab comprised of four sections of smaller slabs each of which embodies the principle of my invention.

I will now describe more particularly the reinforcing of a single section of the four section slab illustrated.

In each of the beams 15 I provide reinforcing members 16 preferably arranged near the lower part of the tile. The reinforcing members 16 of each girder are either directly connected or connected by concrete or otherwise with similar reinforcing members of the adjoining girders at the corners. The reinforcingv 16 is for the purpose of taking care of the horizontal bending of the outside edges of the slab between supports, and also for the purpose of tying together opposite beams subject lto lateral or outward displacements.

It thus appears that the reinforcing members 16 substantially form a continuous hoop around the lower portion of the slab.

I preferably provide also reinforcing members 17 which may be in the form of steel wire, rods, bands or the like, and which at the corners of the slab are arranged near the upper portions of the tile.

Between the corners the reinforcing members 17 bend downwardly to position near the lower part of the slab, as illustrated in the drawings. These members 17 form the girder reinforcement for taking the strain of the superposed load, which in the case of the floor slab, would be the vertical strain.

It will be noted that in the construction herein shown I am able to provide a comparatively large flat slab without any reinforcing extending through it, but reinforced only by steel or the like around the edges of the slab. y

The reinforcing members 16 forming the continuous hoop furnish all the advantage of a hoop structure.

The reinforcing 16 on each side takes care of the direct lateral outward pressure, and the reinforcing 16 on any one side at the same time is subjected to a longitudinal strain. It will of course be understood that in speaking here of reinforcing I intend to suggest that the entire structure is subject to the strain and that the reinforcing is so placed as to enable the structure to properly stand the strain.

It is further obvious that in a slab construction -ofthis Ikind some provision should be made for taking care of direct strain, and this is done in the present instance by the placing of the reinforcing members 17.

The advantages of a structure of the kind herein described may be largely seen from the foregoing description. However, it may be well to call specific attention to some of these advantages.

yIn the first place there are no steel reinforcing members inserted in the building of the slab across the slab in either direction, so that the labor and time required for laying the tilelin the slab are very greatly reduced.

It will be understood that something must' be employed in a floor structure of this kind to take care of the lateral and direct strains, andI know of no other structure where it Copies of this patent may be obtained for is not necessaryto use either I-beams or similar devices which are far moreex-pensive than the structure herein shown, or various forms of arched masonry structure ,which are also much more expensive to build than my structure, or structures having beams and intermediate reinforcing devices extending through or across the slab.

Any of these forms, for instance, are more expensive and more complicated in structure than my structure herein shown.

The units, sections, or panels, each composed of a plurality of tile or blocks, with reinforcement placed at the periphery, form slabs, arches or domes, which may be'used either singly or in multiples and the units may be so constructed and connected that the edges shall be in horizontal vertical or inclined planes, and for some purposes the units may be inverted.

It may be noted that my invention may be applied to the construction of any of the following structures or elements of structures -or features. My device or parts of my device may be used in combination in some instances with Iparts of other structures in foundations, elevators, Hoor slabs, walls, partitions, stairways, roofs, retaining walls, walls and hoppers of grain and coal bins or other bins containing semi-fluids; or walls of the curved or straight `type used in water, oil or other tanks containing liquids; bridges, viaducts, culverts. I mention these things to show the great variety of uses to which my invention may be put.

Some changes might be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts vof my invention without departing'ffrom its essential features and purposes, and I intend to cover by my claim any modifications of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

. I claim as my invention:

A masonry structure. composed of parallel rows of hollow blocks, the same being spaced apart by plain non-reinforced con-l crete members, forming substantial compression ribs spanning the structure and binding together the rows of hollow blocks, concrete ,beam members at the periphery of the structure, the only reinforcing used in the entire structure being in the form of a substantially rectangular hoop continuous around the outer edges of the structure in said beam members, the non-reinforced con-V crete compression ribs extending across the structure and into the outside beam members which contain the reinforcing, thus binding the whole into a solid monolithic structure.

Des Moines, Iowa, March 29, ,1918;

CLARENCE ARDRY WILLSON.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 'Washingtoin .D. C. 

